For more than a decade, we’ve been quietly building an endowment for our children.
To relieve the pressure on St. Mary’s Catholic School to continuously raise money for its own day-to-day operations, the Foundation is gradually assuming those duties. Currently, the school’s own fundraising addresses the immediate needs of operation, but as those funds go directly to the schools budget, they are not being invested for long-term benefits.
Once the Foundation is able to sustain the school in the long term, the school’s independent fundraising efforts can be directed toward academic initiatives and special project drives, such as new playground equipment, technology, or field trips.
The Giving Power of Immediate Need Donations vs. Endowment Fund Donations
Immediate Need Donation
You generously give $1,000.
Your $1,000 helps pay the utility bills, funding part of the school building’s day-to-day operations which supports the students’ learning.
Endowment Fund Donation
You generously give $1,000.
Your $1,000 is added to the Foundation’s growing endowment fund and invested wisely.
Since it is invested (and not immediately spent), your $1,000 produces interest, dividends, and capital gains, growing in value. A portion of the growth produced by your $1,000 is given to St. Mary’s School annually.
Over the years, as the endowment grows, a portion of the return produced by your original $1,000 is granted to the School for general operations and scholarships – impacting Cheyenne’s children for generations.
Operating, Scholarship and Administrative Funds
The Foundation’s endowment grows and maintains an operating fund, a scholarship fund, and an administrative fund. The operating fund and scholarship fund support St. Mary’s Catholic School so that it will continue to grow and be affordable to those who attend. The administrative fund provides for the expense of operating the Foundation itself. Undesignated gifts to the Foundation are split 70% to the operating fund, 25% to the scholarship fund, and 5% to the administrative fund.
OPERATING FUND
The Operating Fund is a crucial part of the endowment fund, because it supports the general operations of St. Mary’s School. This fund helps with the cost of books, supplies, teacher and staff salaries and benefits, utilities, maintenance, improvements, and more.
Donations to the Operating Fund benefits all children and their families by reducing the amount of operating expenses that have to be borne by tuition and that has to be raised by the School through fundraising and other means.
The Scholarship Fund provides tuition assistance to as many qualified students and their families as possible, thus enabling them to have access to affordable, faith-based education. The School awards the actual scholarships and financial aid from the grant given them by the Foundation.
ADMINISTRATIVE FUND
The Administrative Fund supports the day-to-day operations of the Foundation including general administrative, bookkeeping, and marketing expenses.
Our professionally-managed endowment is invested according to socially-responsible, Catholic guidelines. We operate on a total return basis, where interest and dividends are reinvested, and up to 5% of each funds balance as of December 31st of the prior year on a rolling three-year average is provided to the School. The impact is exponentially great her than putting a gift to immediate use for the needs of the School.